Crises Manifestations in the Ottoman Empire during the 18th C. and the Changes in the Church Mukata’as within the Context of Iltizam System

As part of the instructions of the Ottoman authority the Patriarchy of Constantinople and the churches in the Balkans – the Patriarchy of Pech and the Archbishop-patriarchy of Ohrid – are directly affected by the new realities in the empire during the 18th c. The domination of the iltizam system in the Ottoman economy and social life in the 17th and 18th cc. projects significant changes in the Orthodox church both at macro and micro level. At least formally, the state considers the patriarchs and metropolitans as multezims of legalized with judicial and fiscal immunity mukata’as. On the basis of different type of documents, issued in the chancellery Piskopos mukata’as? kalemi (“Chancellery of the Bishop mukata’as”), – patriarchal and metropolitan berats, sultan’s fermans, annual income-expenditure statements, the so called surest, suret-i ruznamce hakani, etc. – the study attempts to trace the changes in the structure of the church mukata’as, as well as the specific purpose of the delivered piskes in the context of the manifestations of a crisis in the Ottoman Empire during the 18th c.